I’d like to thank the people of Swansea for their continued encouragement of this reluctantly ex-pat writer.

I was born in the city, and spent much of my childhood there, as well as studying for my first degree at Swansea University – but I’ve also lived in many other parts of the UK, because of my parents’ itchy feet.

As an adult, my place of residence remained unsettled until I married a man who was born in Norwich. Then it became very settled, because he hates moving, and that’s why we’ve been stuck here ever since. Even so, hardly a week goes by without my complaining that I’m desperate to go back home.

One of these days, the combination of the beauty of the Gower coastline and my constant moaning will finally pay off, and my husband will agree to join me in moving back to Dylan Thomas’s “ugly, lovely town”. (He already acknowledges that Dylan must have been as pissed as a fart when he chucked the word “ugly” into that description. Too pissed to spot the beautiful coastline, anyway.)

Where was I, before I started wittering on about Dylan Thomas’ drinking habits? Oh, yes – the encouragement I’ve been given by my home city and my country of birth.

Since my blog first started, I’ve had a loyal and hugely enthusiastic Welsh following, which led to my being interviewed on ITV Wales and to librarians in Swansea and Cardiff buying copies of my books in generous quantities, for which I’m very, very grateful. There’s something particularly magical about visualising people borrowing a copy of your book from a library in your home town, or your compatriots watching you on TV.

There’s also something very exciting about discovering that you’ve been mentioned in your home town’s local press, and that happened to me today when I noticed that “Would Like to Meet” had been mentioned in this month’s issue of The Bay magazine.

Unlike many of the free local papers and magazines in the UK, The Bay is a glossy magazine with high production values, and a focus on local culture. It’s usually such an interesting read that I always bring a copy back with me whenever my husband and I return from our yearly trip to Swansea, and I’m chuffed to bits that my book has been featured in it.

You can read the snippet about “Would Like to Meet” below, or the online version here.

(In case you’re wondering about the title of this post, diolch yn fawr means ‘thank you very much’.)